Is EA stripping Acct ages from Unlinked Accts?

Stratics Veteran

I had a report of EA stripping the Acct age on a 14 year Acct that was Unlinked to move to a different email address. This effectively removed all vet rewards and zeroed out the Acct age. 14 years gone... zap.

Their justification for it was that the new owner had not earned any of the vet rewards on the Acct so they were removing the Acct age.

As if that alone isn't bad enough, the Acct owner wasn't selling the Acct just putting it on a different email addy and is now fighting to get the Acct age restored.

Is this really happening on a regular basis? Is this the new norm when someone DOES sell an Acct?

Has this happened to anyone else? Was this part of an announcement made by EA that I missed?

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

We had to move one of my boyfriend's accounts to my e-mail address in order to link it. The account age and vet rewards are still there. How does EA know if someone sold an account or just has a new e-mail?

I've 'inherited' my account from my father and recently updated the email to my own. I haven't lost any of my veteran rewards/time as far as I've seen. I would say try to talk to EA about it, but they've never been of any help in terms of account age.

VIPStratics VeteranStratics Legend

I had a report of EA stripping the Acct age on a 14 year Acct that was Unlinked to move to a different email address. This effectively removed all vet rewards and zeroed out the Acct age. 14 years gone... zap.

Their justification for it was that the new owner had not earned any of the vet rewards on the Acct so they were removing the Acct age.

As if that alone isn't bad enough, the Acct owner wasn't selling the Acct just putting it on a different email addy and is now fighting to get the Acct age restored.

Is this really happening on a regular basis? Is this the new norm when someone DOES sell an Acct?

Has this happened to anyone else? Was this part of an announcement made by EA that I missed?

Click to expand...

We in no way would remove account age from anyone's account. Either this is a misunderstanding or someone is misinformed. If you can email me the number you called, the persons name you spoke to and your ticket number, along with the account name NOT password this happen to, I will find out what happened.

I had a report of EA stripping the Acct age on a 14 year Acct that was Unlinked to move to a different email address. This effectively removed all vet rewards and zeroed out the Acct age. 14 years gone... zap.

Their justification for it was that the new owner had not earned any of the vet rewards on the Acct so they were removing the Acct age.

As if that alone isn't bad enough, the Acct owner wasn't selling the Acct just putting it on a different email addy and is now fighting to get the Acct age restored.

Is this really happening on a regular basis? Is this the new norm when someone DOES sell an Acct?

Has this happened to anyone else? Was this part of an announcement made by EA that I missed?

Click to expand...

Don't know about that, but I had problems with my account age as well. I reactiatived my account in June of this year. It was at 77 months at the time, and it's October and my account age is still 77 months. I am at the point were I almost don't care anymore. Guess I care alittle since I am posting this here.

I think that would be a good idea to remove all the acc age when acc I sold. I feel there are just as many newer players playing on old acc that there are original players playing there old acc. I dont feel its right that someone can buy an acc thats let say 10 years old and get to ride the ethys from that acc. I have more friends in game that have older acc than mine and I have been playing since 99. I see so many players that are newer than me that have all the vet rewards and I dont feel its right. I say if the email and cc is changed at the same time then remove acc age. Also if the acc goes through ea remove the acc age.

OT why would they keep making new vet reward that older acc cant use anyhow its not like uo is going to be around anther 14 years? Just add new vet rewards for the other years. like ethys for the years that dont have them. Even make it so acc older than 3 can use and place the house deco items and remove the dye tub age thing, really age on a dye tub with plant dyes and pigments its a little out dated dont you think. once again these changes dont effect me but would help newer players.

Don't know about that, but I had problems with my account age as well. I reactiatived my account in June of this year. It was at 77 months at the time, and it's October and my account age is still 77 months. I am at the point were I almost don't care anymore. Guess I care alittle since I am posting this here.

Click to expand...

My acc have been almost 6 months behind for as long as I can remember...

We in no way would remove account age from anyone's account. Either this is a misunderstanding or someone is misinformed. If you can email me the number you called, the persons name you spoke to and your ticket number, along with the account name NOT password this happen to, I will find out what happened.

I no longer need to concern myself with the daily workings of EA, however in this I do agree. If you owned an account YOU had for 14 years and sold it to me, who might be a total noob, then I should not be able to take advantage of 14 years of your work.

I no longer need to concern myself with the daily workings of EA, however in this I do agree. If you owned an account YOU had for 14 years and sold it to me, who might be a total noob, then I should not be able to take advantage of 14 years of your work.

Click to expand...

Nor I ...

I would however put a bit finer point on it though ...
IF I had negotiated (bargained) TO buy: just an account ... no age = no problem.
IF I had negotiated (bargained) TO buy: A 14 year old account ... that is exactly what I will get ... or No deal ... *grins*
Standard caveat emptor.

However!
Due diligence and disclosure calls for the other reminder ...
NO WHERE is there any "documented provision" that >requires< EA to do anything more than keep the >name of the ACCOUNT<
exclusive.
Just the name ... NOT any record or data re: the account

Actually ... try looking at it this way
Your "game uniform" ... got your name and number and your locker assignment and gear issued and all the other records created over your long and lustrous career ...
You quit playing for some unknown reason for a noticeable period of time. One semester say.
EA keeps record of your account name.
JUST the name ... not the name tag though, nor locker, nor record of history of play ... not so much as your stinky socks in that locker that has been reassigned ...

show me where they mention storage and upkeep of idle accounts ...
the only mention ever in that aspect
was the ancient lore of MAYBE for reason of capacity of technology at the time
MAYBE an accounts contents would be purged to "create" more space for active accounts.
Essentially: MAYBE we flush some of the oldest unaccessed space ...

that does NOT mean/imply the erroneous ASSUMPTION that
ALL idle accounts will be preserved for perpetual care ...

*grins*
Call it the "Account cemetery"
*shrugs*
Call it "Long term secure Airport terminal Parking"
*winks*
Call it your "Constitutional Right" until >the contract< calls it something ... it does not exist ...

I say if the email and cc is changed at the same time then remove acc age. Also if the acc goes through ea remove the acc age.

Click to expand...

Ok so my CC expires and I change my email because I no longer want the mountain of spam...I happen to decide to do both at once and BAM my account get reset.
Not what you really meant to happen I know but careful on the wording you know what EA are like.

Onto the subject of not allowing sold accounts to keep their account age, why the hell not? If someone wants to sell their account then let them decide on what happens to the contents.

Ok so my CC expires and I change my email because I no longer want the mountain of spam...I happen to decide to do both at once and BAM my account get reset.
Not what you really meant to happen I know but careful on the wording you know what EA are like.

Onto the subject of not allowing sold accounts to keep their account age, why the hell not? If someone wants to sell their account then let them decide on what happens to the contents.

Click to expand...

Heh ... but >They Don't< have the rights to "the contents" ...
they leased them from EA ... they >just< played with them ...
Only while >paying to play< with them do the players >have< any say ...

Gotta QUIT playing with them to Sell them
QUIT playing and ... well ... you don't GET TO tell them what to do then ...

doh! gotta BE in the Game ...

doesn't matter whether or not the door hit you on the way out
ya in ya might be able to do something
ya out ya out ...

Fact is lots of people here own someone else's account. Either because they bought it or because it was given to them by a friend.
Do we really care that much about older accounts in a game that has dwindling subscriber numbers and ever decreasing customer satisfaction?

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

My personal opinion on Veteran Rewards, is that I think the "spirit" of the program should be to promote and be an incentive to customer loyalty.

Therefore, Veteran Rewards linked to the active account age should go to the customer who has been loyal to the product and when the account moves onto someone else, the Veteran Age of the account should start anew since the customer changed and so, a new loyalty started.

Now, that said, is a different e-mail address alone enough to determine whether there has been a change of customer and thus a "new" loyalty age of the account should start anew ?

I do not think so. I think that whomever is in charge to make a decision on this (customer service ?) should also look at who is paying for the account monthly fees, whether the same individual or someone else.

I would imagine, that if an account changes hands, hardly the original owner would still keep paying for it.......

So, more than a change of e-mail I'd think about looking at changes on who is actually paying for the monthly fees.

Of course, this is possible with credit card, game time code usage makes it hardly possible to see if there has been a change of whomever may be paying for an account. In this case, I am not sure how it could be possible to proceed.

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

Do we really care that much about older accounts in a game that has dwindling subscriber numbers and ever decreasing customer satisfaction?

Click to expand...

Personally, I think yes, customer loyalty is usually in business a VERY important thing.
I have noticed several times that, one way or the other, businesses try to prize customer loyalty to their product/brand and I find it perfectly normal that the same would happen for Ultima Online.

So, to this logic, it makes perfect sense to me that if an account changes hands, then the business might want to address also the customer loyalty rating of that account. If the customer changed for that account, then, I think, also the loyalty age of that account should start anew IMHO.

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

Onto the subject of not allowing sold accounts to keep their account age, why the hell not? If someone wants to sell their account then let them decide on what happens to the contents.

Click to expand...

Well, as I personally see it, the Veteran Rewards program is to prize the loyalty of a customer to a given product/brand, Ultima Online in our case.

When the customer actually transfers the account onto someone else, that loyalty, as I see it, ends since the customer stops holding the account and transfers it over to someone else.

That someone else, then, in regards to that given account being transferred, starts a new loyalty and thus, it makes perfect sense to me that in such cases the Veteran Account Age of the account would reset.

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

Omg, please don't make things more complicated for the Customer Service dept.

Really!

Click to expand...

Well, the OP indicates that there was a report of an account reset account Veteran age so, apparently, unless this is a glitch of some sort it looks like this "might" already be happening.

I just noticed Mesanna's post so, apparently, this is more likely to have been a mistake rather than actual change of policy....

In case there was to be a change of policy in this sense, though, then I see this discussion as helpfull because at least players can indicate their point of view on how to better do it to avoind possible misunderstandings and mistakes.

My personal point of view is that I would favour this reset of active account change in case of a transfer of an account.

The loyalty should be towards the actual customer who holds the account, NOT towards the account itself, IMHO.

Should the customer change, the loyalty should accordingly reset, IMHO.

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

We in no way would remove account age from anyone's account. Either this is a misunderstanding or someone is misinformed. If you can email me the number you called, the persons name you spoke to and your ticket number, along with the account name NOT password this happen to, I will find out what happened.

Thanks,

Mesanna

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the fast clarification on the issue. Though, you should consider actually making it a new policy to "reset" active account age when an account transfers over to someone else.

As I see it, loyalty should be addressed to the actual account "holder", that who actually "pays" for the account and not to the account itself.

Therefore, as I see it, should there be a transfer of the account to someone else, accordingly, the active account age that prizes the loyalty should reset and start anew with the new holder of the account.......

Anyways, on the topic of Veteran Rewards, are we getting anything new for 14th Year ? When ?

Stratics VeteranStratics Legend

Well, the OP indicates that there was a report of an account reset account Veteran age so, apparently, unless this is a glitch of some sort it looks like this "might" already be happening.

I just noticed Mesanna's post so, apparently, this is more likely to have been a mistake rather than actual change of policy....

In case there was to be a change of policy in this sense, though, then I see this discussion as helpfull because at least players can indicate their point of view on how to better do it to avoind possible misunderstandings and mistakes.

My personal point of view is that I would favour this reset of active account change in case of a transfer of an account.

The loyalty should be towards the actual customer who holds the account, NOT towards the account itself, IMHO.

Should the customer change, the loyalty should accordingly reset, IMHO.

Click to expand...

so popps when you where given uo account and stratics account with it, and barraged us with questions you, and also your weeping, that those that played over a long term had too many advatages over new players!
think you shouldn't have gotten a veterans rewards or benefit of riding a ethy??

As I see it, loyalty should be addressed to the actual account , which "pays" for the sub. money comes from the account, not the player - stop paying and the acct goes under, You could still play, on some other acct. I was playing before I had an acct, so I'd like a little extra time please. Owners of things change, the 'thing' itself remains, whether it's a game acct, CC company, or whatever - it's the Company, or 'thing' that gets the loyalty perks, not the owners.

Even if it was up for change, which it isn't, I'd say leave stuff alone! or least till I don't need my current sig anymore. The answer was already given: NO

Fact is lots of people here own someone else's account. Either because they bought it or because it was given to them by a friend.
Do we really care that much about older accounts in a game that has dwindling subscriber numbers and ever decreasing customer satisfaction?

Click to expand...

well duh ... fact is is that has nothing to DO with the >current discussion< ...
that is just the historical data of >what HAS been< ...

there's a NEW TOS interpretation/definition to be settled >here/NOW< For: the future.

Might as well scrub down to bare metal and get it right(righter) THIS time around ...
\
There is a "group" out there ... that wants "new accounts" to not have to wait four years to BE a fully enabled account ...
the 20 point skill cap thang ... this is when to address it ...
This is a discussion OF:
Can money buy "time served"
It CAN ...
>should It< ?

As long as EAetal get their handful of silver ... why not? theirs to SELL .. yes?/no?
As long as "Someone" gets the $dollar they "want" ... why not? IS IT "theirs TO sell"? yes?/no?

Already have a set and well known model to work against ...
Custom design your new account On TEST ...
when you are ready ...
pay the fee and "be delivered" to the shard of your choice ...

ya gots your Race and Name and Sex change tokens (remember, that is on top of Free character deletion/reroll ... )
WHY NOT an "Ageing Token" ?

Hand crafted over the last ten years by: Fayled Dhreams ... <<< is not the most valuable Account in existence ...
NEITHER is: Formerly Used By Lord British hisself ...
( Mine IS worth more ... MORE TIME >ingame< doh dee doh doh !!! )

Why NOT ??
Be really really difficult to "scam" anyone in a trade (account for money)
EA could earn premium monies ... for certified storage OF accounts (memorials/museums)
I'd pay $5 to convert my 9+yo tamed llama ride FROM: loseable non-replaceable to : Cloned instance of One for the duration of subscription.
I'd pay $10 to have some certifiably "unique" attribute/color/sound morphed onto it ... $20 to have it spit in someones eye and kill'em all slow and gasping like.
(for $20 >I expect< that to be a PERMA DEATH ... dum duh doh! why spend money on "temporary" simulations? I'm getting that at $10 a month/free ... see? )

Stratics Veteran

We in no way would remove account age from anyone's account. Either this is a misunderstanding or someone is misinformed. If you can email me the number you called, the persons name you spoke to and your ticket number, along with the account name NOT password this happen to, I will find out what happened.

Stratics is the oldest continually running MMORPG Fansite on the Internet. Founded in 1997 Stratics has served the Ultima Online Community for 18 years. We strive to provide the most complete social experience for Ultima Online players.